'Conditions were challenging': Tilak Varma reveals what went wrong for India in Ireland and England

India's T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma

Team India's T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma has reflected on the challenges that contributed to India's disappointing back-to-back T20I series defeats against Ireland and England, insisting the team remains focused on learning from the setbacks and regaining momentum. The reigning T20 World Cup champions endured a forgettable tour of the British Isles in July 2026, managing just one win across the entire trip of 10 matches while suffering consecutive bilateral series defeats to Ireland and England. India also failed to register a single victory in the T20I leg of the tour.

'England conditions were a big challenge'

Ahead of India's upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe, Tilak admitted that adapting to overseas conditions after playing predominantly in Asia over the past two years proved to be a major challenge. He also backed captain Shreyas Iyer, highlighting the importance of staying calm under pressure and maintaining a positive environment within the squad. "Honestly, Shreyas Iyer is leading a champion team, so obviously there's always responsibility. At the same time, Ireland and England offered completely different conditions. For the last two years, we've mostly been playing in Asia, and then suddenly we had to compete in overseas conditions against a very strong England side, whom we had already seen in the World Cup semi-final. Playing against such a quality team in challenging conditions was always going to be difficult, and naturally there were expectations as well," Tilak said in a video shared by the BCCI on X.

'Results will come and go, we need to stay positive'

The left-handed batter stressed that the team has taken valuable lessons from the tour and is determined to bounce back by creating the right atmosphere within the dressing room. "In those situations, you have to remain calm under pressure and create positive energy within the team. That's our mindset. Results will go up and down, but what's important is how we build a good environment and back every individual. It's just a matter of one match or one series. The last series was a good learning experience, and now we want to execute those learnings and bring back the momentum," he added.

India's tour of Zimbabwe

MatchDateTime (IST)Venue1st T20IThursday, July 234:30 PMHarare Sports Club, Harare2nd T20ISaturday, July 254:30 PMHarare Sports Club, Harare3rd T20ISunday, July 264:30 PMHarare Sports Club, Harare

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